Yojimbo iCloud Transition Update

Rich Siegel, Bare Bones Software, on the dilemma(s) faced by Mac developers with apps that use the soon-to-be-closed MobileMe for syncing data:

As one of the very first developers to adopt MobileMe for synchronization, we’re accustomed to working closely with Apple to address the complexities involved. iCloud represents a radical change in how data synchronization operates; it’s unfortunately not just a switch that developers can throw.

I switched to Dropbox syncing with Yojimbo last year, when I upgraded my MobileMe account to iCloud. It works, but it requires you to manually quit Yojimbo from Mac A before launching it on Mac B. (Yojimbo is smart enough to warn you if you try launching it on Mac B while it’s still running on Mac A, which happens all the time with me because I’ve always got Yojimbo running, at which point I need to pop over to Screens and remotely log into my other Mac just to quit Yojimbo.)

Long-term, the switch to iCloud should make for a better-than-ever syncing solution — not just for Yojimbo, but for Mac apps in general. Short-term, however, this is confusing for users and an enormous headache for developers, especially those with apps that predate the Mac App Store.

★ Tuesday, 26 June 2012